Crazy Big Dreams Podcast

Hey leaders. Welcome to episode 88. 

Today’s episode is Surface Leadership. This is a strategy I share to develop confidence in your leadership skills. And today’s episode is about accepting the ugly truth when we dip below the surface in our leadership role. 

It happens to everyone. And it means you're human. It’s normal. 

And it also signals a key opportunity. 

You can find the full transcript of this episode at crazybigdreams.biz/88.

This is about my confidence-building strategy I refer to as Surface Leadership. If you’re new to this strategy I recommend taking 8 minutes and listening, or re-listening, to episode 79 Are You Using The Surface Leadership Strategy? 

The most important piece to Surface Leadership is being able to recognize when you’re leading above the surface and when you’re leading below the surface. 

The first and most important step is awareness. 

Being able to recognize when you’re closed off to something, when you’re reactive, needing to be right, when you’re uncertain, or just getting by. These are just a few examples of how ‘below the surface’ traits may show up in your leadership. 

In the previous episode I mentioned, episode 79, I give you more examples. 

Remember, leading below the line is innate, almost a given that this will happen to every leader off and on throughout our success journeys. The key is to be able to recognize it. 

We must first have this awareness to know if we are above or below the surface when we are leading. How do know? 

Pause. Take a breath. Simply ask. “Am I above the surface or below the surface right now?”

If your self-awareness tells you you’re below the surface, what do you do next? Let’s cover what not to do first. 

It’s important not to start with negative self-talk. Don’t beat yourself up mentally. Don’t go down that rabbit hole of spiraling thoughts. It leads to more doubt, less confidence in leadership skills, and getting stuck. 

Instead, move forward to step two. 

Step two is acceptance. Pause. Take another breath. Literally. A deep breath. It gives your mind a chance to stop racing in this moment. 

It allows you to get present in that moment. You’re either breathing in, or breathing out. You can’t do both at the same time. So pause, breathe, and turn your attention to your breath. 

Getting present in the moment allows you to be with what is currently happening right here and now. 

It allows you to focus just on your breath and not on drama, anxiety, blame, scarcity, or any of the many things that can jump in when we’re at a crossroads of knowing we’re below the surface but haven’t yet gotten ourselves back up above the surface. 

This pausing taking a breath, allows for you to receive and accept yourself for being where you are. 

For the full transcript of this episode and all the links go to crazybigdreams.biz/88. 

Hi savvy leaders. Welcome to episode 87. 

Are you feeling discouraged? Today’s message is for those times when you’re feeling discouraged. 

You can find the full transcript of this episode at crazybigdreams.biz/87.

I know from personal experience that feelings of discouragement can be isolating. When I feel discouraged it feels like I’m the only person on the planet that’s feeling that way. Can you relate? 

It feels like everyone I see and hear is joyful, and lighthearted and everything in their life is effortless. Everything is going their way. Do you feel that way too? 

Well, certainly this can’t be the truth. So if you’re feeling discouraged know that I was too. You’re not the only one. 

The other thing I know about feeling discouraged is that it’s temporary. Even though it never feels temporary in the moment. Right? 

But it never lasts. I get through it. 

In the past, I have given myself time to feel discouraged. I just sat with it. And it’s not easy. It’s difficult. Because I’m fairly intrinsically motivated. I’m determined and eager and I love what I do. 

But recently I didn’t feel like I had time for that. I needed to and wanted to just get past it. 

So what I most recently did to push through my discouragement is I asked for help. GAHHHH! It was not easy. 
 
 I don’t like asking for help. Especially in areas like this. It wasn’t easy. Because I’m also quite independent and self-reliant. 

But I reached out to a friend and I simply shared. I’m feeling really discouraged. I need a pep talk and a cheerleader. Even if you don’t believe I’ll accomplish what I set out to I need you to tell me it’s possible. 

Of course, she believes in me. 

And so I sat back and listened to her shower me with uplifting praise and belief and encouragement. 

It made all the difference. 

It truly was what I needed to create a shift in my energy and push through my discouragement. 
 
 So I’m here today to pay it forward.

And I know, you would do this in a heartbeat for your friends. And you have! 

I’m here to give you a pep talk and be your cheerleader. Because you’ve been there for others. 

So sit back. 

Close your eyes if you’re not driving. Hear me.

You can do this. 

It’s totally possible. 

You have what it takes and then some. 

I believe in you. 

I know it feels too big. It feels like you don’t know the way forward or how it will look when you do reach it. 

And I’m telling you, you have everything you need to create the success and the results you desire. 

You know everything you need to know. 

You have every ounce of experience you need. 

You can do the work. 

You can focus. 

You can set what doesn’t matter right now aside. 

You get to put this as a priority. 

It’s important. 

What you desire is important. It matters. It’s worth it. 

You’ve got this! I can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Are you feeling a bit less discouraged now after listening?  

Go get to work! Put a smile on and click over to Instagram @yourcrazybigdreams and tag another savvy leader who needs a pep talk. Pay it forward. 

Hey leaders. Welcome to episode 86! 

Today I’m here to talk with you about using milestones and how to let milestones motivate you in your direct sales business. 

You can find the full transcript of this episode at crazybigdreams.biz/86.

I found myself recently looking for some inspiration. Something to help my momentum stay forward moving and keep me energized. 

Milestones are something that not only I find helpful, but many other leaders I’ve worked with also find milestones as true markers to gauge and track their forward movement. 

Let me explain. 

It’s a lot like the fresh, new beginning of a new year. Whether you set New Year’s resolutions or not, there can be this bigger-than-us level of motivation and the feeling of a fresh start that comes with a new year. 

It’s an opportunity to leave behind whatever we need to and simply turn our focus forward. 

It’s really inspiring. 

This is exactly what you can pull from personal milestones all throughout the year. You don’t have to wait for the annual turning of the calendar. You can create this on your own. 

Some milestones to consider include:

Your birthday.

The anniversary of when you said yes to your business. 

Maybe the anniversary of a big accomplishment in your business. 

And if you don’t know the exact date, you can use the month. 

Other milestones include:

The anniversary of your wedding or your partner’s relationship.

A spouse, partner, or child’s birthday. 

The beginning of the school year if you’re taking classes or if you have kids and they’re back to school. This back-to-school time of year has a fresh, new feeling about it, doesn’t it? The rhythm of a schedule or routine. The time that maybe frees up for you. 

You get to re-prioritize what you want to do with it. And yet this comes with some level of accountability almost, right? Because some of us have been there. You tackle groceries, laundry, food prep maybe a workout, and bam, you’re sitting in the school pickup line. I know! If that’s you, you’re not alone. 

A milestone can be almost anything that creates a shift in schedule or routine. If your time commitments shift it can create these new pockets of either time spoken for or time open. 

These are incredible opportunities. Don’t let them sneak up and don’t miss the opportunity to be intentional about how you will prioritize what you want in these new pockets of time. 

Personal milestones also mark an occasion that gives you the gift of reflection. It’s an opportunity to pause, reflect, leave what is no longer serving you, and pick up exactly what you need to move forward.

When you look at the upcoming months on your calendar, or maybe even the next year, what are the milestones that lie ahead for you? 

What I hope you’ll do moving forward is use these to connect the results you’re working for. What do you want to accomplish? What do you want for yourself and for your business? 

How can you align the results you’re after with these milestones on the calendar? 

I recommend starting simply. Choose the very next milestone coming up for you. What is one thing you want for yourself or for your business by then?

That’s it. Keep it simple. 

 How refreshing. Don't miss out on the rest of this episode. Click over to crazybigdreams.biz/86 for the full transcript and links. 

Hey leaders. Welcome to episode 85! 

In a previous episode, I talked with you about mantras. How to create your own personalized mantra. If you haven’t listened yet, go to crazybigdreams.biz/83. 

In today’s episode, I’m sharing the impact of hearing your own voice. And recording your own personalized mantra is one way to create big impact for yourself. 

You can find the full transcript of this episode at crazybigdreams.biz/85. 

From episode 83 we know that a mantra is basically a word or phrase that’s repeated often or that expresses someone’s basic beliefs.

A mantra can be used to help change the pathways in our brains to help us adopt beliefs that serve us better. We can use our own personal mantra to replace beliefs that are unhelpful, negative, or simply not true for us. 

I also give you three simple steps in episode 83 to create your own mantra. 

Once you have your own powerful mantra you’ll want to record your saying it with your own voice. This is incredibly powerful in changing the pathways in your brain. 

You’ll want to listen to it really, on a daily basis. Ideally morning and night. By listening every morning it helps you set your mind for the day. 

By listening every night, it helps solidify your thoughts and beliefs. It can also help bring you back to these intentional thoughts if the day didn’t unfold in support of your mantra. We all have those days!

The important message for today is that your own voice is incredibly powerful when creating a mindset and then have your actions, activities, and choices support and back up what you want to create. 

Let’s talk about the two issues that get in the way of recording your own voice. 

1. It feels funny when we talk to ourselves!

2. We hate the sound of our own voice.  

Ok first of all, yes it can feel funny when we talk to ourselves. So what. The benefits totally outweigh this feeling funny business. So just do it. Also, once you’ve done it, it feels less funny. 

2nd. We hate the sound of our own voice. Let me explain so this doesn’t hold you back. We normally hear our own voice while talking. We don’t often hear our recorded voice. 

According to the docs and the research, we we’re talking we’re getting both sounds transferred to our ears externally by air conduction and sound transferred internally through our bones. It’s the bone conduction of sound that gives low frequencies that aren’t included in air-conducted vocal sound. 

So when you hear your recorded voice without these frequencies, it sounds higher – and different. Basically, the reasoning is that because our recorded voice does not sound how we expect it to, we don’t like it.

I experienced both of these things when I first recorded myself years ago. I felt silly. And I didn’t like the sound of my voice. I thought “Is this what other people hear?” turns out no, because of the previous explanation. 

The key is that I did not let either of these things stop me. 

I did it anyway. And you can too. 

For the complete message on hearing your own voice go to crazybigdreams.biz/85. 

Hey leaders. Welcome to episode 84! 

I’m so glad you’re here. I truly appreciate you tuning in each week. If we’re not connected yet on Instagram you can find me @yourcrazybgidreams. 

And if you want to check out any previous podcast episodes you can find them all by category at crazybigdreams.biz/podcast. 

You can click on these links in the full transcript at crazybigdreams.biz/84. 

Ok, so today’s topic is really about taking action. 

I’m here to help you recognize where you may be avoiding action and invite you to act. 

Stay with me. 

There are times when we kick the can down the road. Right?! We’re avoiding something because it’s uncomfortable. It requires us to access parts of us that we don’t normally or don’t like to access. 

And by kicking the can down the road it means we’re just delaying the inevitable. We’re just postponing this thing we’re avoiding. 

Why? Because we hope it will just go away. We’re hoping if we ignore it long enough we won’t have to deal with it. Someone else will. It will resolve itself. It will be forgotten. 

I’m here to ask you to recognize this within yourself. Is there something or someone you’re avoiding or postponing? Are you giving yourself reasons or excuses why now is not the right time?

Some of the areas even savvy, high-achieving direct sales leaders are kicking the can down the road are related to people in some way. A person, a teammate, a peer, and typically it has to do with a difficult conversation. 
 
 There seem to be circumstances when leaders don’t want to hold some people accountable. Most of the time it has to do with their past relationship before joining in business together. It’s typically isolated to a select few people or even just one person. 

It’s a dynamic where they just don’t want to go there with the accountability or simply have conversations about their business and activity. It feels….uncomfortable. 

Can you relate? Is it easy to just keep kicking the can? Maybe in the moment. But it’s costing you a lot of energy. It’s costing the quality of your relationship. It’s costing the results of both your businesses. 

Here’s your invitation to stop kicking the can down the road. Stop avoiding. Many times, you simply need the right words to converse with this person. And other times leaders get more comfortable when they weigh the consequences and opportunities. 

I promise the advantages of communicating far outweigh any consequences. Especially when you approach this person with honesty and grace. 

Here’s an option for you to think about. Let’s say your person’s name is Alicia. 

Alicia, there’s something that I would love to talk with you about. I’ve been kicking a can down the road and avoiding chatting with you about this. I fear it’s costing us both results and a more authentic & genuine friendship. 

I don’t really talk with you much about your XYZ business because I’m concerned about how it will be perceived. I don’t want it to interfere with our friendship. At the same time, I know you joined because…..And I would love to help you with that. 

Take the next important steps and go to crazybigdreams.biz/84 for the rest of this episode and all the links. 

Hey savvy leaders. Welcome to episode 83!

Today our focus is on mantras. Specifically how to craft your very own powerful, results-producing mantra. 

You can find the full transcript of this episode at crazybigdreams.biz/83. 

Mantra has two different meanings really so let’s first break that down. And then I’ll share how to go about crafting your very own powerful mantra. 

There’s an original meaning for mantra that dates quite a ways back and there’s a more modern meaning. 

Mantras originated in Hinduism and Buddhism. In this context, it’s a word or simply just a sound repeated over and over to help concentrate and stay focused during meditation. 

As a trained yoga teacher I use phrases during the end of a yoga session during final relaxation to help students stay in the present moment to bring them back to the here and now especially if their mind is racing. 

The more modern meaning of a mantra is basically a word or phrase that’s repeated often or that expresses someone’s basic beliefs. 

A mantra can be used to help change the pathways in our brains to help us adopt beliefs that serve us better than maybe what we’ve been conditioned to believe. 

Undesirable beliefs can come from different sources. Maybe what we heard from caregivers that raised us or people that had an impression on us growing up, including but not limited to our parents, or maybe we heard things from a partner or friend in our past, or present. 

Beliefs can also come from stories we have told ourselves over time. 

Regardless of where these beliefs originated or are rooted, you have the power to change them. 

One of the most powerful tools you can use is a mantra. 

We can literally change the pathways in our brains to adopt a new belief. There are several things we can do to grow and develop our brains. Learning a new skill, taking naps, exercising, and of course, mantras. 

If you geek out on the science behind all of this, like me, go ahead and research neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. 

Basically, know that mantras are powerful! 

So, how do you craft a personal mantra that’s powerful, personalized, and produces results?

I’ll break it down into three simple steps. 

Step one: become aware and simply notice when a negative thought pops into your mind. It can be about anything. But typically, if we’re critical of ourselves, if we’re doubtful in any way, if we’re unsure, feeling discouraged, or fearful, we’ll have a certain way we’re speaking to ourselves. 

Maybe not out loud. Maybe just in thought. Even so. It’s not serving us.

Make note of these words. Take a moment to write them down. Which is a great way to stop the replay of words that tend to get stuck on repeat. Write them down. 

This leads you to step two: flip your words so they reflect the opposite.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you have a pretty lofty goal you’re working on and you’re feeling discouraged. Totally normal. Right? Let’s be intentional about crafting your mantra though. 

You catch yourself with the thought “I’m so discouraged I’ll never hit this goal.” 

 
You can't stop here. Got to crazybigdreams.biz/83 to flip this and grab my 3 simple steps to craft your own personalized & powerful mantra. 

Hi Welcome to episode 82! Our topic for today is not one I chose. It chose me. 

Have you ever felt that way about something? Maybe the company you work for or the business you’ve built. Some of you, I know, feel that it chose you. 

And I find this admirable. Because it tells me you were OPEN to receive!

An undeniable trait of high-achieving leaders is their willingness to receive. 

You can find the full transcript of this episode at crazybigdreams.biz/82

Well, I’m here today to share a personal story and the perspective shift it created for me. This is not typical because I’m a pretty private person. Or I’m working to be less that way when I know it can serve others and when I’m feeling drawn to share. 

This is a personal story and I may get emotional. And that’s ok. 

The reason I’m sharing this with you is because the shift in perspective the experience has given me is profound. And wouldn’t have happened without this experience. But as I started out, we have to be open to receive, embrace, be curious and let difficult situations shape us. 

This is what happened. 

Recently my baby, my 1 year old, had a strong allergic reaction to food, specifically eggs. Now, I know this can be a really difficult topic. For many, their relationship to food is a very personal thing. 

How you eat, what you eat and don’t eat, how others feel about what you eat, etc.. I’m vegetarian and some days vegan, other days pescatarian, but I’ve been vegetarian for all of my adult life. 

So I have a bit of experience with particular food preferences and how they are received. I’m just here to say that I know food is a big topic for a lot of people and I don’t take that lightly. 

Not to mention what we feed our babies and how we feed them and all that you can unpack with that. It’s not lost on me. 

This is simply my personal experience and how it created a big shift for me. 

I suggested to my husband that we try eggs. He was getting his breakfast ready while I was outside with our other kiddo. So, I didn’t know if he did or didn’t give him eggs or what he fed him. 

When dad walked out with baby I immediately asked “What did you just feed him?” He said eggs. I said, you need to watch him closely because it looks like he’s having a reaction. 

Now, I can be what I’ll self-describe as a super passionate type of mom. Especially when it comes to their health. And I own it. Both my babies started out in the NICU so their health is something I get passionate about in an intense way. Sometimes. Ok most of the time. 

It comes with the territory of their NICU experience for me. (A topic for maybe another episode). 

I finished outside with our other kiddo and when we went in baby was fussy and cranky. He’s almost never fussy and cranky. It’s just not his temperament. Dad said “I think we have an allergy to eggs.” 

His face was red and splotchy. But he also still gets eczema flairs. I knew as soon as I saw him that was not this. 

He just wanted to be held. He started itching and rubbing his face. I held him and he was looking a little sleepy. Which is also not his temperament, but it was getting close to nap time.

There's a lot more to this story. For the full transcript go to crazybigdreams.biz/82. 

Hey Leaders! Welcome to episode 81! Our topic for Above-The-Surface Leadership today is curiosity.

If you’re not familiar with my Surface Leadership strategy please listen to episode 79 at crazybigdreams.biz/79. It will introduce you to the Surface Leadership strategy. And today’s episode is about Leading Above the Surface with Curiosity.

You can find the full transcript of this episode, all show notes and links at crazybigdreams.biz/81.

Personally, I feel that curiosity is the one skill that will help you stay above the surface. You are leading above the surface when you are curious. But it will also help you stay above the surface if you work to keep a curiosity mindset.

What does this look like?

Well, it’s about not jumping to conclusions. It’s not assuming team member behavior. Or assuming customer behavior.

It’s also not about reacting. You can’t be both curious and reactive at the same time.

Curiosity leaves you open to discover whatever it is you’re curious about. That simple.

That openness is also a skill that tells me a leader is leading above the surface.

How then do you lead above the surface with curiosity?

You pause. You think. You ask questions. Good questions. Open-ended questions. Questions that start with What, How, or Where.

Pausing allows you to choose how you want to lead forward. So you’re giving yourself time to think. You’re thinking about the questions that would be important, helpful, and revealing.

These questions sound like

“What got in the way?”

“How was that for you?”

“What would you like to do next?”

“How did we get here?”

“Where would you like to spend your time?”

“Where do you see your business 6 months from now?”

These questions originate from a place of open curiosity. These questions communicate, with a few simple, yet intentional words, you’re in this together.

You’re shoulder-to-shoulder with the person or team members you’re communicating with. These questions say “I care, I’m open, I’m right here with you, Let’s do this together.”

That is Above-The-Surface Leadership.

I challenge you to use these questions as tools in your toolbox. You can go to crazybigdreams.biz/81 for the show notes and literally copy and paste these words for yourself.

I challenge you to use these powerful, open-ended questions to help you lead above the surface and stay there by remaining open and curious.

I can’t wait to hear how this impacts your success journey. Click over to Instagram @yourcrazybigdreams and share which question really jumped out for you today.

The best is yet to come, friend. Always.

Hey Leaders! I’m so excited you’re here! Welcome to episode 80. Today I have a consistency challenge just for you. 

It may be directly related to your business. It doesn’t have to be. The benefits are still there. 

First I’m going to share how this came about. Second, I’ll share the benefits. And third, I’ll help you choose your own challenge. By the time we get to step three, you’ll likely already have an idea you want to focus on for your own consistency challenge. 

First, how did this come about? This consistency challenge came about unplanned, although intentional from my personal experience in starting this podcast almost two years ago.  

I did not plan on doing a podcast. But because I have, and I’ve learned a lot about sticking to something for 80 weeks, I am intentionally creating a consistency challenge for you!

I was working with my business coach and she suggested a podcast. I immediately said no. It wasn’t on my radar and I didn’t know the first thing about creating a podcast from scratch. 

The whole idea sounded daunting, like a ton of work and time, and not in my strengths zone. 

Well, here we are almost two years later. So you’ve heard firsthand that I’ve done it and I’m still here! 80 episodes later. 

With the direction of my business coach, I learned how to do it all myself. I created the intro and the trailer. I learned how to record, edit and publish. I learned the time-efficient ways to go about a weekly episode tempo. And I’m sure I have lots left to learn. 

Although I started without any intention of creating a podcast, once I decided and committed, it was fun! Yes, work. A lot of work. But also quite fun! I really enjoy it. I find it to be rewarding in a creative way to share what I feel is high-value content for you. 

The surprising thing I learned about committing to a podcast was that doing it weekly and almost never missing a week, brought surprising benefits I didn’t know I would gain when I started out on this journey. 

The consistency I’ve had over 80 weeks is the biggest benefit I’ve experienced. I’ve only missed a few weeks. Once I had laryngitis and no voice at all. And another missed week was when I was admitted to the hospital 2 months early to have my preemie baby. He’s doing great. 

What I’ve learned along the way is that when I made the commitment to do this podcast I didn’t realize the determination I had to be able to be so consistent. I can’t think of many things I’ve done for 80 weeks straight with no interruption. 

I surprised myself for sure. I truly did just take it one episode at a time. When I started this podcast I was pregnant. He recently turned one. So I’ve continued it with a newborn preemie. That’s not a small accomplishment. 

It’s taken some creativity for sure. 

Planning definitely. 
 
 And occasionally, I’ve had to arrange care for my kiddos. But mostly I get super creative in order to create, record and edit this with regularity in a quiet space. With two energetic boys, it’s rarely quiet in my home office. 

Another undeniable benefit is the sense of accomplishment I have. It’s been quite impactful. 

I know more about what I’m capable of. 

 
For all the details to embark on your very own consistency challenge go to crazybigdreams.biz/80. 

Hi Welcome to episode 79. We’re talking about the one thing I hear so much from Direct Sales Leaders which is the desire to increase confidence in their leadership skills. 

Most leaders get to a point of business growth and want to feel that their leadership skills can match the trajectory of growth. That their leadership skills can develop and grow to not only maintain success but build on that success. 

I love this desire. It tells me these women recognize there’s more to learn. Their humility is a sign that ‘hey, I may have gotten us this far, but it doesn’t mean I don’t still have personal & leadership growth yet to be discovered’. 

How great is that?!

If this feels like you, then you’re in the right spot. You can find the full transcript of this episode at crazybigdreams.biz/79. 

Ok, so how do you go about increasing confidence in your leadership skills? 

There is one key strategy I’ll give you today to simplify your complex role of being a leader. 

I call it Surface Leadership. 

I want you to envision the surface of a body of water. A Lake, an ocean, or a pool, choose your favorite. 

Of course, you know the phrase “just keep swimming”. This is going way deeper than that. But I was just reminded of “just keep swimming” the other day while texting with a few mom friends we all serve on the same board together. 

One responded with “Tammy, you’re the best for being so on task.” My reply was “Always trying! Thank you. Most days failing.”

Another replied “just keep swimming”

To which one chimed in “I like to think of it as flailing.” 

You get the picture, right? I’m sure some of you can relate. I totally could. 

The Surface Leadership strategy I want to share with you today is about knowing when you are above the surface and when you are below the surface. 

Above the Surface Leadership will look a certain way for each leader. Generally speaking, it looks authentic, real, organized (however you define organized), forward-thinking, positive, inclusive, challenged yet accomplished, and at your best. 

Again, what you’re specifically doing and how you’re being when you’re above the surface will look and feel unique to you. 

Below the Surface Leadership looks, well, the opposite. Inauthentic, maybe this is or feels like wearing masks to make things look a certain way, disorganized, reactive, negative, seclusive, comfortable, uncertain, and getting by. 

How Below the Surface Leadership shows up for you will look and feel unique to you. You’ll know it when it’s happening. You feel it. It can be obvious by situations you’re in or choices you make. Or it can be more sneaky and leave you feeling in a funk where something’s just off. 

The most important component to know with this strategy is that practicing Surface Leadership is all about being able to recognize when you’re leading above the surface and when you’ve dipped below the surface. 

The most important component is not to always lead above the surface. That’s not authentic. It’s not real. It’s not always possible frankly. 

The best of the best and the most successful all have days, moments, or seasons where they find themselves below the surface. Normal. Completely normal. 

Please go to crazybigdreams.biz/79 for the complete episode on this powerful leadership strategy!